Bow sight and sight cover assembly

ABSTRACT

A bow sight of the type having a pin guard that surrounds the sighting pins is fitted with a cover assembly. A protective cap can be moved between a closed position to protect the sight pins, and an open position in which the cap is out of the sight picture. The cover assembly can have a base that fits onto the distal side of the bow sight, with the cap being hinged to the cover on the riser side of a circular aperture through the base. The bow sight may have a built-in receptacle to attach the hinge of a cap. Also, the cap may have a transparent window for sighting with the cap in the closed position. The window may be clear, or may be an optical filter or a lens. A spring can bias the cap to the open position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention is related to the field of archery bow sights, and especially hunting sights such as pin sights, pendulum sights, and other sights in which there is a sighting device supported on a mount to assist the archer in aiming at a target. In particular, this invention is directed to a cap or cover for the archery bow sight that covers and protects the sighting device when the bow is being carried or transported, but swings out of the way so that it reveals the target and sight picture when the archer is aiming at the target.

Archers employ hunting bow sights, such as a pin sight, mounted on the bow riser and to assist the archer in aiming properly at a target, so that the target is presented in a sight picture against a background. These may be single-pin bow sights, multiple pin bow sights, or other types of bow sights. Multiple-pin bow sights are described in Springer U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,005, and in Springer published application US 2003/0110648. These patent documents are incorporated by reference into this specification.

Many varieties pin bow sights have fiber optic elements supported on the sight pins to provide a bright dot for the archer at the end or head of the sight pin. The fiber optic elements in most conventional pin sights are exposed at the distal or target side, and may have one or more bends, e.g., at the eye or head of the pin. Consequently, when the archer is carrying the bow, especially through woods or brush, it is possible for a twig or branch to enter the bow sight and damage or disturb one of the fibers. In other types of bow sights, such as pendulum sights, the sighting element itself may be somewhat delicate, and can be bent or otherwise damaged by twigs or sticks. In some pin sights, the pins themselves may be delicate.

In addition, many bow sights have pin guards or similar guard members that surround the sighting device or devices to protect them from the top, bottom and sides. However, these guard members are open on the proximal and distal sides, i.e., on the archer and target sides, so that the archer can view the target when aiming. In many cases, the pin guard or sight device guard can form a part of the sighting mechanism for the archer's sight picture. The pin guard may frame the sight picture that contains the target and the sight pin(s), and may assist the archer in centering his or her aim on the target. Some pin guards are simply a mechanism by which the pins are protected from being damaged and they are not, strictly speaking, specifically designed to form a proper sight picture. However, even in such cases, the pin or other sighting mechanism is vulnerable to damage from twigs and branches, as aforementioned. No means has been provided or suggested in the past that would place a convenient protective mechanism, such as a cap, on the pin sight or other bow sight, which can cover the distal side of the sight when the bow is being carried or is not in use, and which swings out of the way, without having to remove it from the bow sight, when the archer is aiming at a target.

Prior bow sight covers have been proposed, for example, in Altmann et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,453,898, McFarlin U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,352, Sloop U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,791, and Kelsoe U.S. design Pat. No. D478,368. Existing bow sight protectors are removed from the bow when the bow is to be used, and only cover the sight when the bow is stored or carried. The cover arrangement described in Altmann et al. is designed only to protect the bow sight from falling precipitation, and involves a gravity system to swing the sight cover away from a protective position, but does not involve a cap that covers the distal side of a sight guard.

Various scope covers with swing-up caps have been proposed for telescopic gun sights, that are positioned by means of a sleeve that slips over one end of the scope barrel. However, to date, no one has proposed adapting any of these scope covers for use on an archery bow sight.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a cap or cover for an archery bow sight that produces an advantage over bow sights that are now available, and which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art.

It is another object to provide a cover for a bow sight that is simple to install and use, and which can be placed into a closed position to protect the pins or other sighting device(s), and which can swing out to an open position when the archer is ready to aim at a target, and where the cap or cover remains on the bow sight but is positioned away from the sight picture when in the open position.

A further object is to provide a cover assembly that can be fitted onto the distal or target side of a bow sight, and which can be moved by finger action between its closed and open positions.

According to one of many possible exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a bow sight is provided with a cover assembly. The bow sight employs at least one sighting member, e.g., one or more sight pins; and a mounting block or similar member that supports the sighting member such that the sighting member is within a sight picture when an archer is aiming at a target. The bow sight has a mount for mounting or affixing it onto the bow riser. A pin guard or similar guard member at least partially surrounding the sighting member and may define or frame the sight picture. The pin guard or guard member has a proximal side facing the archer and a distal side facing the target. The cover assembly comprises a protective cap member covering the distal side of the guard member, and pivot means mounting the cap member onto the bow sight at the distal side of the guard member, such that the archer can swing the cap member from a closed position in which the cover is held against the guard member and an open position in which the cap member remains on the bow sight but is out away from the guard member and out of the archer's sight picture. This may employ a receptacle or mount on the bow sight itself, which may form a part of the hinge, with a mating part of the hinge being formed on the cap member. In some embodiments, the pivot means can employ a base that fits removably onto the distal side of the pin guard or other guard member, with the cap member being pivotally, i.e., hingedly, mounted onto the base. These cover assemblies may include a torsion spring or other spring or resilient mechanism, preferably biasing the cap member towards the open position, with a friction or moderate interference fit holding the cap member in the closed position against the base. Alternatively, the spring arrangement can have an over-the-center action, which pulls the cap from a middle or intermediate position towards each of the closed and open positions.

In an illustrated embodiment, the bow sight has an arcuate guard member that forms at least a portion of a circle, and the cap member is disk shaped. However, many other embodiments are possible. The cap member may be opaque, but this is not required, and in some embodiments, the cap member may have a transparent window that permits viewing the sight picture when the cover member is in its closed position. This transparent window may favorably include an optical filter to improve viewing of the target within the sight picture. This optical filter may be a polarizer, or may be a magnifying lens.

While many embodiments may involve a pin guard that forms an integral portion of the archer's sight picture, other embodiments of the bow sight cap of this invention may be employed with bow sights that do not function in the same exact way. Also the pin guard or other guard member need not be circular, and cover assemblies of this invention may be employed on partly-circular pin guards, e.g., D-shaped pin guards, or on non-circular pin guards such as rectangular pin guards. The cap should close against the sight guard sufficiently to provide protection to the sight pins and fibers. The term “against” as used here does not necessary require tight engagement.

In several illustrated embodiments, the hinge or pivot is on the riser side of the bow sight, but in other possible embodiments could instead be at the top or bottom of the pin guard, or on the side away from the bow riser. In addition, the pivot could be on the fore-and-aft axis, so that the cap swings down and away or out and away from the target sight picture.

It is also possible to employ a cap or cover having a base that fits onto a non-circular pin guard, such as a rectangular pin guard, but has a circular aperture and circular cap, so as to create a circular sight picture to assist the archer in sighting the target.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing detailed description of selected preferred embodiments, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying Drawing:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective view of one exemplary preferred embodiment of a bow sight and sight cover in accordance with the present invention, with FIG. 1 showing assembly of the sight cover onto the distal side of the bow sight.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of this embodiment showing the cap member in an open position.

FIG. 4 is an assembly view of an alternative embodiment in which mounts for the cap are formed directly on the bow sight.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment in which the cap carries a transparent window.

FIG. 6 shows yet another embodiment if which the cap pivots on a horizontal, fore-and-aft axis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the Drawing Figures, initially to FIGS. 1 to 3 are views of one exemplary bow sight 10 of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,005. The bow sight 10 has a mounting plate 12 that attaches to a bow riser (not shown), and a multiple-track frame member 14 that is adjustably mounted at one end of the plate 12. The frame member 14 has three vertical tracks, in which are positioned a set of sighting pins 16, 16. Each of the pins 16 has a base that is mounted in a respective one of the tracks of the frame member 14, with an elongated neck projecting laterally. The necks of some of the sight pins 16 are straight, and others have doglegs, so that the heads or tips of the pins 16 are all aligned in a vertical plane. The dogleg pins 16 in the rear track are offset forward, and the dogleg pins in the forward track are offset rearward, each into alignment with the straight pins in the middle track. In the exemplary embodiment of the bow sight 10, the pin heads are also aligned with a common vertical axis. This configuration of the dogleg pins enables the pin heads to remain in alignment even though the bow twists when the archer draws back the bow string.

The pins 16 each have mounted on it an optical fiber that carries light to the tip or head of the pin to assist the archer in seeing the sight pin. This is described in U.S. Published application US 2003/0110648. The fiber associated with each pin is exposed on the distal side of the pin, and is subject to damage or being pulled out from the associated pin if any foreign object contacts the sighting pins. It can happen that brush or twigs can contact the bow sight and can pull out or break one or more of these optical fibers while the archer is carrying the bow through the woods. The brush may also break the pins.

An annular pin guard 18 is mounted onto the frame member 14 and surrounds or encircles the sighting pins 16. In this case, the pin guard is circular, but in other possible embodiments, the pin guard could have a different shape, e.g., semicircular or D-shaped, or rectangular. The pin guard 18 does serve to protect the pins from above and below and from the sides, but because the outer or distal side 20 of the pin guard 18 is open, it is still possible for foreign objects to enter inside the perimeter of the pin guard 18 and disturb the optic fibers on the sighting pins.

As discussed in the aforesaid U.S. Published application US 2003/0110648, the pin guard 18 can form an integral part of the sight picture that the archer sees when looking at a target through the sight, and the pin guard 18 helps the archer center aim on the target.

In this bow sight 10, a small level 21 is positioned to assist the archer in holding the bow in an erect position when aiming.

A sight cover assembly 30 is designed to snap on and fit rather securely onto the distal side or target-facing side 20 of an existing bow sight, e.g., bow sight 10. Here, there is a base 32 formed of a hard rubber or stiff but yielding plastic material, and with a recess at its proximal side that matches the profile of the frame member 14 and pin guard 18. The base 32 has a circular opening 34 that aligns with the open center of the pin guard 18 and with the annular sight picture that is framed by the pin guard 18. An annular barrel 36 extends distally from the edge of the opening 34.

A closeable cap 40 is formed as a disk of hard plastic, with a rim 42 that fits over a distal edge of the annular barrel 36 to close off the distal side of the pin guard and protect the pins 16. A hinge 44 affords a pivot for swinging movement of the cap 40 with respect to the base 30 and pin guard 18. The hinge 44 is formed of a hinge half 46 at an edge of the cap 40 and a mating hinge half on the base 32 at the riser side of the opening 34. A torsion spring is positioned at the hinge 44 so that the cap 40 is biased towards its open position (FIG. 3) where the cap is held away from the sight picture and towards the bow riser. The archer can close the cap by moving it by hand to its closed position (FIG. 2), where the rim 42 of the cap 40 fits snugly onto the barrel 36 of the base 30. The cap is held down by an interference fit, but can be released from the closed position by finger action.

The cap 40 is provided with radial protuberances or ears 50 at the periphery of the cap, and there are recesses 52 formed at corresponding locations on the base 30, so that the cap 40 can be pushed easily off its closed position so it can swing out to its open position.

As an alternative to a simple torsion spring, a spring member can be used that provides over-center action so that the cap 40 is biased away from a midway position towards each of its open and closed positions. With this spring action, that the archer needs only move the cap part way from either position, and it will spring to the other.

A sight cover arrangement according to another embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 4, where similar reference numbers identify corresponding elements as shown in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the bow sight 10′ has a receptacle structure 53, namely a pivot hinge half, formed on the sight itself, that is, on the distal side of the frame member 14. While not specifically shown here, it would be equivalent to have receptacle structure mounted on the distal side of the pin guard. The bow sight cap 40′ here has a corresponding hinge half 46, as in the first embodiment. The cap 40′ is attached by aligning the hinge halves 53 and 46, and inserting a pivot pin 54. A spring member 55 is shown here also, which fits between the two pivot halves to bias the cap 40′ normally to its open position.

A further embodiment is shown in FIG. 5, in which the cover assembly is similar to that of the first embodiment, except that a cap 40″ in this embodiment has an outer ring 56 with a transparent central window 58, so that the archer can view the target even when the cap 40″ is in its closed position. The window may be clear glass or plastic material, or may be colored so as to act as a filter and enhance the view of the sight picture. The filter may include polarizing material for dealing with glare or reflections. The window may include a magnifying lens to improve the archer's view of the target. The ring 56 may be provided with internal threads, and the window 58 may be provided with matching male threads, so that the window, i.e., filter, may be interchanged with another for different lighting situations.

The cap 40″ can normally be left in the closed position for use, but can be swung out of the way in the event that there is precipitation that may collect on the window.

Still another embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 6, in which the elements that are common with the other embodiments are identified with the same reference numbers. In this embodiment, the pivot pin 54 extends horizontally in the distal direction, to define a fore-and-aft pivot axis. Here, the cap 40 pivots about that horizontal axis, so as to swing down and away from a closed position (shown in solid) to an open position (shown in ghost line). A detent mechanism (not shown) can be used to hold the cap 40 in each of its open and closed positions.

While not shown here specifically, it would be within the level of skill in this field to produce covers for pin guards that are D-shaped or even rectangular in shape. In the case of rectangular pin guards, it is possible to have a base for the cover that has a round aperture, so that the archer can use the round shape to assist in aiming at the target.

While the present invention has been described with reference to several specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments. For example, the cover assembly is not limited to use with pin sights, but may be used with other types of bow sights, including telescopic sights. The cap is not limited to disk or round shapes, but can be any suitable shape to match the profile of the corresponding bow sight. Rather, many modifications and variations would present themselves to persons skilled in the art without departure from the scope and spirit of this invention, as defined in the appended claims. 

1. A bow sight and cover assembly in which the bow sight comprises at least one sighting member; a mounting block supporting said sighting member such that the sighting member is within a sight picture when an archer is aiming at a target; means for mounting the bow sight onto a bow riser; and a guard member at least partially surrounding the sighting member around the sight picture, and having a proximal side facing the archer and a distal side facing the target; and in which the cover assembly comprises a protective cap member covering the distal side of the guard member, and pivot means mounting said cap member onto the bow sight at the distal side of the guard member such tat the archer can swing the cap member between a closed position in which the cover is held against the guard member and an open position in which the cap member remains on the bow sight but is displaced away from the guard member and out of said sight picture.
 2. The bow sight and cover assembly of claim 1, wherein said guard member is arcuate and forms at least a portion of a circle, and said cap member is disk shaped.
 3. The bow sight and cover assembly of claim 1, wherein said cover assembly includes a snap-on base that removably fits onto the distal side only of said guard member, and said pivot means includes a first hinge portion formed on said snap-on base and second hinge portion formed on an edge of said cap member and pivotally fitting said first hinge portion.
 4. The bow sight and cover assembly of claim 3, wherein said pivot means includes a spring means biasing said cap member to one of said open and closed positions.
 5. The bow sight and cover assembly of claim 4, wherein said spring means biases the cap member to said open position.
 6. The bow sight and cover assembly of claim 4, wherein said spring means has an over-the-center action and biases the cover from a raid position to each of said open and closed positions.
 7. The bow sight and cover assembly of claim 1, wherein said pivot means includes a hinge portion formed on the bow sight at the distal side of said guard member and on a side thereof oriented towards said riser, and a mating hinge portion formed on the cap member.
 8. The bow sight and cover assembly of claim 1, wherein said cover member has a transparent window permitting viewing of the sight picture when the cover member is in its closed position.
 9. The bow sight and cover assembly of claim 8, wherein said transparent window includes an optical filter to improve viewing of the target within the sight picture.
 10. The bow sight and cover assembly of claim 9, wherein said optical filter includes a polarizer.
 11. The bow sight and cover assembly of claim 8, wherein said transparent window includes a magnifying lens.
 12. A bow sight through which an archer aims at a target situated in a visual background, comprising: means for mounting the bow sight on a bow riser; at least one sighting member; a mounting block supporting said sighting member such that the sighting member is within a sight picture when an archer is aiming at a target; a guard member at least partially surrounding the sighting member around the sight picture, and having a proximal side facing the archer and a distal side facing the target; a receptacle formed directly on the distal side of said guard member and adapted for receiving a pivot fitting onto which a bow sight cap may be mounted for pivoting action in which the cap may be moved between a closed position in which the cap covers the distal side of the guard member and an open position where the cap remains on the bow sight but is displaced away from the guard member and out of said sight picture.
 13. A bow sight cover for covering a bow sight of the type in which a sighting member is mounted on a mounting block, and is at least partly surrounded by a guard member tat forms a viewing frame around a sight picture for an archer aiming at a target, the guard member having a proximal side facing the archer and a distal side facing the target; the bow sight cover comprising a protective cap member covering the distal side of the guard member, and pivot means mounting said cap member onto the bow sight at the distal side of the guard member such that the archer can swing the cap member from a closed position in which the cover is held against the guard member and an open position in which the cap member remains on the bow sight but is displaced away from the guard member and out of said sight picture.
 14. A bow sight cover according to claim 13 wherein said guard member is arcuate and forms at least a portion of a circle, and said cap member is disk shaped.
 15. A bow sight cover according to claim 14 wherein said cover includes a snap-on base that removably fits onto the distal side of said guard member, and said pivot means includes a first hinge portion formed on said snap-on base and second hinge portion formed on an edge of said cap member and pivotally fitting said first hinge portion.
 16. The bow sight of claim 12, wherein said receptacle is formed at a side of the guard member that is disposed towards the bow riser.
 17. A bow sight cover according to claim 13 in which the pivot means is disposed on the cap member and guard member on a side thereof which is oriented towards the bow riser when the protective cap member is in the closed position, such that the cap member swings in the direction towards said bow riser to move into its open position.
 18. A bow sight cover according to claim 13 in which said pivot means includes a pin defining a fore-and-aft axis about which said cap member swings. 